apprentice.io is now available to all employers

Over 150 developers and designers have applied to
apprentice.io and 17 have been accepted.
The majority left their previous jobs to apprentice with us and we’re currently
booked through September, with some apprentices scheduled for 2013.

A pricing change for employers

Based on feedback from employers, we’re changing the way the program works.

Starting immediately, there will not be a monthly fee for employers to
participate in the program. Instead, there will be a more traditional placement
fee of 20% of the first-year’s salary when you hire a graduating apprentice.

We hope removing barriers to entry and using a traditional payment model will
resolve concerns employers have expressed about the program, ensuring that we
can continue to train new developers and designers well into the future.

A note about recruiters

The cost of hiring from apprentice.io is comparable to using a traditional
recruiter. We’re certain that like us, you’ve interacted with recruiters
before…

They do very little to justify the expense. They spam networks to find people,
have a poor understanding of current technology and designer/developer
motivation, and send you individuals of a quality you could have found with a
Craiglist post.

In contrast, apprentice.io starts with a selective application and interview
process. We pay the apprentice a salary for 3 months to pair program with
our experienced team and take days’ worth of our
workshops.

The designers and developers of apprentice.io are more qualified and better
trained than what we’ve had sent by recruiters.

Share and share alike

We would make more money by hiring all apprentices and billing them out as
consultants but that doesn’t help solve the shortage of
talent that our
friends at other companies (including our clients) are feeling.

It’s also more attractive for apprentices to have more options after they
graduate from the program. Not every person wants to be a consultant. Every
apprentice in our program, however, is interested in making great products,
interfaces, and software.